Apparatus for forming bearing races



Oct. 6, 1970 D. W. PETHICK APPARATUS FOR FORMING BEARING RACES Original Filed March 8, 1967 United States Patentg O B21k 1/04 U.S. Cl. 72-339 9 Claims ABSTRACT F THE DllSCLOSURE Deforming a solid bar stock in to a pair of bearing rings by various deforming stages on a single machine.

This application is a continuation of Ser. No. 621,655, led Mar. 8, 19167, now abandoned.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to forming apparatus, and more particularly to apparatus for forming bearing races on a single machine beginning with a piece of solid stock of material.

It is an object of the present invention to provide novel apparatus for forming bearing races.

It is another object of the present invention to provide novel apparatus for forming a pair of cylindrical parts on a single machine beginning with a piece of solid bar stock.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a single machine for forming a pair of bearing races from a piece of solid bar stock.

Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. l is a front elevational View of apparatus embodying features of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the apparatus of FIG. 1, taken generally along the line 2 2; and

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the apparatus of FIG. 1 taken generally along the line 3 3.

Looking now to the drawing, a machine embodying features of the present invention is generally indicated by the numeral and includes a die section 12 and a punch section 14. The machine 10 includes five stations which are as follows: shear, pancake, pierce, separate and form, and form.

At the shear station, stock in the form of bar stock or wire 16 is fed into the die section 12; as shown in FIG. 2, wire stock 16 is utilized and is first sized by being passed through a sizing die 18. After sizing, the sized stock 16 is passed through induction heating apparatus having a coil 20 by which the stock 16 can be heated; this is done in order to ygenerally utilize the process set forth in the patent application of Jerry E. Cardillo, Serial No. 503,400, tiled October 23, 1965 now Pat. 3,378,903. For steel the stock 16 from the Icoil 20 is at a. temperature of from between 10010@ F. to below the critical temperature at which hardening occurs from air cooling (see Cardillo supra) and is fed through an aperture through the die section 12 and is sheared to proper size by shear 22. The sheared bar which is at an intermediate temperature below the forging temperature, is then transferred to the pancake section and is located within a generally enlarged diameter cavity 24 and is pressed into a pancake form by means of a punch 26 connected with the punch section 14. A knockout punch 28 is located in the die section 12 and generally partially extends into the die cavity 24 and co- Patented Oct. 6 1970 operates with a protruding portion 30 on the punch 26 to form a reduced diameter center web 32 in the formed pancake 34. The web 32 represents the throwaway portion and is made as thin as possible in order to most elfectively utilize as much of the material as possible. The formed pancake 34 is then transferred to the piercing station at which a piercing punch 36, connected to a punch assembly 38, punches out the web 32 leavin-g the doughnut shaped pancake member 34a. The piercing punch 36 cooperates with a through bore 40 in a piercing die 42 located in the die section 12 at the piercing station.

The pierced pancake 34a is then transferred to the separate and form station. This station comprises a first first punch assembly 44 which has a shear punch 46 which cooperates with ya die 48 for shearing an annular center portion 50 from the pierced pancake 34a, leaving a generally annular outer doughnut portion 52. Looking now to FIG. 3, the center ring portion 50, after shearing, is moved to the extremity of the die 48 and is located in a generally vertically extending slot 54. A slide member 56 is actuable after the completion of the operation of the punch 46 and moves downwardly to move the center ring portion 50 downwardly to a forming die assembly 58. The portion 50, for a vertical press, will move downwardly as aided by gravity. As the inner ring portion 50 is sheared, a prior inner ring portion, such as 50, located in the die section 58, is deformed into a bearing 60. The die assembly 58 has a die 59 with a die cavity 64 and a backup punch 66 located therein which cooperates with a forming punch 62 on the punch section 14 to form the ring member 60. The backuppunch 66 ejects the formed race member 60 upon retraction of the forming punch 62. Thus as one ring portion, such as portion 50, is sheared from the pierced pancake 34a, by the die 46, a second ring portion, such as portion 50, located in the die cavity 64 below the separating die 48 is deformed into the race member 60'. Upon retraction of the punch 62 and the ejection of the formed bearing ring 60l the, newly sheared inner ring portion 50 is moved by the slide 56 into position to be received in the die cavity 64 upon the next stroke of the punch section 14.

After completion of the separate and form step, the outer doughnut portion 52 is transferred to the forming station; by means of a forming punch 68 on the punch section 14 and a forming die cavity 70 in the die section 12, the outer portion 52 is formed into a bearing ring 72.

Note that all the operations at the various stations, i.e., shear, pancake, separate and form, and form, are occurring simultaneously for each actuation of the punch section `14. The ring 72 is ejected by means of a knockout punch 74. Each punch or shear, 26, 38, 44, 62 and 68, is connected to the one punch section 14 which in turn is connected to a single press; for each actuation of the single press two bearing rings 60 and 72 are formed. Note that while the machine 10 is shown for use with intermediate temperature forging equipment, it is possible that the machine be utilized to form the races 60 and 72 cold. However, in that event, there is a possibility that between some of the stations annealing of the formed parts may be required. Even so, parts can be removed, annealed and reinserted and a single machine, as shown in the drawings, can be utilized to produce two bearing rings simultaneously for each stroke of the punch section 14.

Transfer apparatus for the various stations has been generally indicated by fingers numbered 76 through 86; details, however, of such transfer apparatus is well known to those skilled in the art and has been omitted for the purpose of simplicity.

While it will be apparent that the preferred embodiment of the invention disclosed is well calculated to fultill the objects above stated, it will be appreciated that the invention is susceptible to modification, variation and change without departing from the proper scope or fair meaning of the subjoined claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for forming a pair of annular bearing rings from a piece of solid wire like stock of a ferrous material comprising: means for heating a piece of the solid stock to a temperature in the range of from about 1000 F. to a temperature below the critical temperature at which hardening occurs from air cooling, a single die section and a single punch section, said single die and punch sections comprising first punch and die means for forming a generally Hat workpiece from the piece of the wire like solid stock, second punch and die means for forming from said fiat 'workpiece a center workpiece generally from the center portion of said flat workpiece and an outer annular workpiece generally from the outer portion of said flat workpiece, other punch and die means for removing a center throwaway to define said center workpiece to have an annular shape, third punch and die means for forming said center workpiece into an annular bearing ring, and fourth punch and die means forming said outer annular workpiece into an annular bearing ring.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 in which said center throwaway is of a substantially reduced thickness relative to the thickness of the remainder of said flat workpiece.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 in which said center throwaway is formed as a thin web in said flat workpiece by said first punch and die means.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 with said second and third punch and die means being connected by a passageway for transmitting said center workpiece from said second punch and die means to said third punch and die means.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 with said passageway being generally vertical and with the transfer being at least I aided by the force of gravity on said center workpiece. 6. The apparatus of claim 5 `with said center workpiece and said outer annular workpiece being formed into bearing rings substantially at the same time.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 with said second and third punch and die means being connected by a passageway for transmitting said center workpiece from said second punch and die means to said third punch and die means.

18. The apparatus of claim 7 with said passageway being generally vertical and with the transfer being at least aided by the force of gravity on said center workpiece.

9. Apparatus for forming a pair of annular bearing rings from a piece of solid wire like stock of a ferrous material comprising: means for heating a piece of the solid stock to a temperature in the range of from about 1000 F. to a temperature below the critical temperature at which hardening occurs from air cooling, a single die section and a single punch section, said single die and punch sections comprising first punch and die means for forming a generally at `workpiece from the piece of the wire like solid stock, second punch and die means for forming a center portion of said at workpiece into a center workpiece portion and for forming from the outer portion of said -flat workpiece an outer workpiece portion, other punch and die means for removing a center throwaway and for forming said center workpiece portion to have an annular shape, defining a rst annular bearing ring and to form said outer workpiece portion into a second annular bearing ring, said iirst and second annular bearing rings being close tolerance parts requiring only a minimum of additional forming and/or machining.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,913,811 11/1959 Benson 29--l48.4 2,766,512 12/1956 Hatebur 29-1 48.4 3,233,307 2/1966 Karrberg et al 29--148-4 3,378,903 4/1968 Cardillo 29-148-4 CHARLES W. LANHAM, Primary Examiner.

E. M. COMBS, Assistant Examiner.

U.S. Cl. XR. 

